Policing is a complex job that requires
continuous and specialized training.

That’s why the Calgary Police Service
is making the Alberta Family Wellness
Initiative’s (AFWI) Brain Story part of
basic training for its new recruits. The
online course is free and includes 30
hours of instruction on how early brain
development influences our mental and
physical health throughout life.

200 Calgary officers who have taken the
course. He explains how the science of
brain development is a powerful lens
for understanding what drives people
to addiction or criminal behaviour. “We
start to understand that it’s not a choice
to behave the way that they do; it’s not
simply a weakness of character that they
have gone down this road,” Chaffin says.

“The brain story helps us understand thatfrom a more foundational level.”Chaffin explains how several incidentshave highlighted the need for Canadianlaw enforcement agencies to improvehow they serve people with mental healthconditions.

Chaffin refers to a report by retired
Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci
in July 2014 as a major moment for
Canadian policing. “The real thrust of
his report was to direct policing to start

For Calgary Police Service recruits such as Officers Anderson, left, and Cech, the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative’s
Brain Story is part of their basic training and helps them better understand people with mental illness.